Blog Post

The highest rated job search terms are jobs near me, jobs with the highest hourly wage, work remote jobs, entry-level jobs, and jobs in [insert industry]. The process then goes something like this: click on a job board ad that paid the most to get on the front page, then you click on the first few postings, read the job descriptions, decide if it sounds possible, then click to apply or submit resume, spend at least 2 hours on the application when you don’t even know if you are fit for the job, close and move to the next one. Search-copy-paste-edit-repeat. The internet is a query system – it's not a mind reader (yet).

My point is not necessarily the painfulness of the online job search (though, it IS painful), my point is the process sets you up to fail. Your results are only as good as your search terms. The world of work is infinite and complex. So, how in the world will anyone looking for their first job, a trade or technical job be able to connect with the opportunities that are real possibilities? The time has come to evolve from the job search to job matching.

Living a life in search took off in the 1980s with AOL, Yahoo, the Google beast and Bing. Then, the early job boards bought keywords when they were first for sale and started to scrape their way to your attention. We have been ingrained to search ever since. So, I know it’s mind-altering to think of living a life of match instead of search, but hear me out. If you are in high school or college reading this, you’ll get it (so please explain it to your parents for me).

Let me give you this comparison. Dating apps like Bumble, Match, and eHarmony match you. You create a profile, get matched with the love of your life (or a booty call), swipe to accept or pass. Then you go about the date and then comes babies in a baby carriage, or something like that. What exactly would you have searched for in a search engine to find that person? 5’2” enjoys comedy, foodie, hates cats and enjoys making sushi for a hobby? Can you imagine what results you would have gotten? Now, imagine if someone paid for advertising to float to the top and get every eyeball on them? That’s exactly what we have accepted as a good way to get connected to jobs for the past 24 years. How about we just stop the ridiculousness?

Looking for someone to do a job or to find a job is just as particular and complex. There are a lot of things that matter to the employer and the job seeker that determine success. Success means – being able to get work done. When you use outdated, overly complex and poor communication vehicles, you end up making bad hiring decisions. Employers and Talent on pepelwerk get to bypass all that old dysfunction. They can accurately and honestly set their expectations and only get matched with the opportunities that fit. Stop searching and match with work.